


Play My Heart.

by sapphella



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abduction, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, College lyfe, Determination (Undertale), Discrimination, F/M, Fluff, Magic-Users, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Slow Burn, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, reader is female, undertale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2018-12-12 05:07:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11730132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphella/pseuds/sapphella
Summary: You’re a lonely college student trying to make lemonade from the lemons that life gave you. But when you accidentally save the life of a skeleton monster, you discover the lives of monsters living on the surface— and how your destiny is undoubtedly intertwined with theirs.





	1. Coffee & Ketchup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first stab at writing fanfiction! So please give me a little.. mercy:)

  
Suddenly he’s sitting there.

Were you seriously spacing out that much? Sure, it was hard not to when you’re waitressing alone at a run-down, deserted diner in Chicago on a Tuesday night, not to mention that you’d gotten barely four hours of sleep the night before. But still, you could’ve sworn that you hadn’t heard the bell attached to the entrance door ring. A short, stocky guy sits at the stool farthest to the left at the vacant counter, his gaze to the floor. He was a peculiar looking fellow, with a blue fur-lined hoodie pulled up over a plain white tee shirt, his hood obscuring his face, a pair of baggy black Adidas sweatpants, and, oh God- were those house slippers?

“Sorry sir, didn’t see you there.” you almost yelped. If he heard you, he doesn’t show it and keeps his face down. You feel the hairs on the back of your neck raise. “Can I get you something?” you ask tentatively, a sinking feeling of unease settling over you. Why was this man so frightening? You’ve certainly seen stranger people walk in to the diner before. It was located in one of the worst neighborhoods of Chicago, after all.

“coffee,” he grunts. “and a side of ketchup.” he adds flatly.

You decide to avoid eye contact as you turn your back to pour the coffee. Something about him really was so unsettling, but you just couldn’t place your finger on it. Maybe it was the way you couldn’t see his face with his hood pulled up like that? Or maybe it was that low, gravelly voice that uttered the strange order? Either way, the man sent chills down your spine. Turning around, you set down a bottle of ketchup and a mug of coffee.

And then you see his face.

A monster. A skeleton monster. You inhale sharply and take a few steps back, bumping into the counter behind you. The monster, unfazed, squirts a dollop of ketchup into his coffee. Your eyes dart across the tiny, vacant diner. Nobody was here besides you and this creature. He could kill you, right this very moment, if he wanted to. Stories of fights between monsters and humans had been all over the news since they emerged from some mountain in Georgia a few months ago. They either ended with corpses or piles of dust. For some reason, after they had emerged, the monsters had all moved to the city of Chicago.

Nobody would notice a missing college girl living in the bad neighborhood of Chicago for at least a few days, especially since you only had a handful of distant friends and absentee parents.

You realize you had been staring. Again, he didn’t seem to notice, or at least care. He wasn’t a particullary grotesque monster, you suppose, with a round skeletal face and two small glowing orbs in his eye sockets that resembled some kind of eerie pupils. “Anything else, sir?” you ask him, fighting to stop your voice from shaking. “nah, thanks miss.” he sighs defeatedly. He seemed more tired than menacing now. It almost seemed like he was dissapointed in your fear.

The skeleton sat there and sipped his revolting concoction. “I’ve had some people order some pretty strange things, but never ketchup and coffee.” you say, a smile tugging at your lips. His head snaps up at you and his eyes analyze defensively, like he’s trying to figure out if that was an insult. Then he sees your laughing eyes and he grins.

“oh, yup. i love ketchup all the way from my head to-ma-toes.”

It was the best thing you had heard all night.

\- - -

“Rough day, huh?” you say, easing up bit as you start to wrap silverware in napkins. “like you wouldn’t believe.” he muttered, rubbing his temples. You nod sympathetically.

A rush of determination fills you to cheer up the poor guy. “You know,” you say, a smile creeping to your lips. “Stressed is ‘desserts’ spelled backwards.” You set a piece of cherry cobbler from the fridge in front of him. His jaw drops. “oh, w-wow you know you r-really don’t have to do that.” the skeleton stammers. Then he looks at you strangely for a moment. Not in a pervy way, per se, but it was unnerving, like he was looking right through you. It catches you off guard.

“Well, erm, it’s on the house!” you manage after a moment. He smiles warmly at you- He has a nice smile, once you get used to.. Well, the lack of flesh.

“you.. haven’t had much experience with monsters, have you?” he asks slowly.

“Um, well, not really. You guys try to avoid us humans, it seems like.” you tell him. “Not that I blame you. Us humans can be pretty nasty to you guys.”

“hm.” he says, taking a long sip of his coffee.

“What? What is it?”

He chuckles. “i’ve just never had a human be this nice to me before. most humans think we’re no better than the dirt beneath their feet.”

You blink at him, setting down the silverwear. “Well, you haven’t done anything wrong to me. You don’t deserve to be treated rudely. Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”

“because,” he spits, a sudden edge to his tone. “i’m a monster.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” you exclaim, that burn of determination growing strong again.

“People should be judged by their actions. Not by what they look like, where they came from, or how much money they have! Being a monster does NOT make you entitled to cruelty. Just like humans, there’s good monsters and bad monsters. You showed that to me tonight! And people think its okay to discriminate monsters. They ban monsters from their stores or restaurants. But, if you think about it, it’s no better than racism or sexism or anything like that! I mean, I won’t lie to you, monsters scare me a little, but I would never go as far as to treat them as animals! People can be so blind, _so stupid.._ ” you slow down, realizing you had been shouting at the top of your lungs.

Whoops. He’s staring at you the same way he did before, that creepy, x-ray stare. “Erm, I guess, uh, I got a little carried away.” you mumble, your cheeks reddening.

The skeleton is quiet for a moment. “are you kidding me? that was amazing.”

\- - -

“you must be a college kid.” he remarks, eyeing your University of Chicago hoodie and your half-open backpack filled with textbooks hanging behind you. “don’t you think you should be home studying or partying or whatever the hell college kids do instead of working a grimy diner all night?” he asks, taking a swig of his ketchup-coffee. “I’d love to be doing that, but I’ve got bills to pay: tuition fees, textbook fees, rent, car payments, not to mention food and gas and..” you realize you were rambling. He gives you a concerned look, so you hastily finish, adding “Well, I’ll be done for the night as soon as I finish wrapping this silverwear.”

He waves his hand and the silverware acquires a blue glow. The forks and knives rise from the countertop, folding themselves in napkins in mid-air. Now your jaw drops. The napkin folded silverware lowers and stacks itself neatly into a pile.

“ _Magic_.” you breathe.

You’ve heard rumors of monsters having strange skills, like fire breath or incredible strength, but not magic. You gape at him, searching for the words that would not come. “Magic.” you state again. He smirks.

“cool, huh?”

“Cool? That’s _beyond_ cool! How--“

Suddenly, the door to the diner slams open. There must have been a dozen of them, men dressed in black street clothes, all equipped with heavy guns.

“He’s here! The bastard went in here!”

You feel a sudden weight pushing you down to the floor, behind the counter. The sensation tingled, and you could feel energy humming through your body. Somehow you could tell it was the skeleton’s magic.

“stay here and let me take care of this mess.” his low voice orders softly in your ear, even though you knew he was standing on the other side of the counter.

Flashes of elelctric blue light zaps across the room. The sound of gunshots and shouts from the men fill your ears. The crack of bone. You fight the urge to look up from your hiding place. A dozen questions burn in your mind. What did these humans want with this monster? Could the skeleton kill these humans? A better question, would he? How powerful really was his magic? The battle seems to go on for hours, even though you know it couldn’t have lasted for just a few minutes.

The shouts stop with a finishing blast of blinding blue light. The windows shatter, sending shards shooting in every direction. The fluorescent bulbs break as well, enveloping the diner in darkness. You bring your hand shaking to your head, feeling it slick with blood. Glass shards sting your skin from all over. The glasses on the shelves must have broken as well. All that can be heard is the heavy breathing of a single person. Your gut tells you it is the skeleton.

Your beat-up sneakers crunch against the glass shards on the floor. You feel numb. The street lights outside cast enough light to deftly make out your surroundings. The attackers seem to have vanished. The monster sits against the wall. You see bullets buried into his bones. They seem to glow a little, were they magic too?

His chest slowly rises and falls. His eyes are closed, and he clutches his chest. You fall to your knees. “Dear God, you need a doctor..” you mutter, fumbling to get your phone. The screen is completely shattered from the sonic boom of magic a few moments ago. “Damn.” you curse, tossing your phone to the side. It was pointless anyways, you knew that hospitals wouldn’t take in monsters. You peel his hands off of his chest. A dark blue ooze leaks from a bullet hole through his white tee-shirt. You rip the front of his shirt to look at the wound more closely. His whole sternum is shattered, a sizeable chunk missing from it. A blue heart is visible from the hole in his sternum. You can see that the bullet was buried in it.

You were the only one here to help him, you realize. Nobdoy else would. He was innocent. He didn’t deserve to die like this.

And so, your determintation is ignited again.

You don’t know how, or why, but your hands move to his wounded chest. It’s an instinct. Your hands carefully cradle his beating heart.

You hold his life in your hands.

You will heal him. Determination from the deepest core of your being beats out of your heart, flowing through your viens, traveling to your hands, to your fingertips. The energy passes from the tips of your fingers to the skeleton’s bleeding heart. Your heart keeps pumping, pumping the essence of life to the wounded monster. You see the wounded flesh of his heart stitch itself together. The bullet holes in his bones begin to close.

You cling to his heart, transmitting as much of your energy as you can possibly manage. Beads of sweat trickle down your face. It’s draining you. Your head becomes light as air; stars dance in your eyes. You gasp for breath. Raw determination holds you inches away from death’s clutches.

You fall, but thanks to a monster, your head never hits the ground.


	2. A Bed of Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: Reader meets some goats, a mute child, and maybe a flower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU GUYS. The kudos! The hits! And the comments! THE COMMENTS. You people are absolutely amazing! Thank you so much and enjoy the chapter!

You had the strangest dream. You can’t remember the beginning of it, exactly. The only thing you can recall is bright blue light and broken glass. But you remember the ending so vividly. You fell, and a bed of golden flowers broke your fall.

The first thing you feel is warmth.

It takes you a moment to realize where you were: a plush room decorated in soft shades of beige. You lay in a downy full-size bed. The room was so comforting, so peaceful, so cozy. Something sweet wafts through the air. Cinnamon? Butterscotch? It had been so long since you’ve slept in a room this nice. You wanted nothing more than to curl up and go back to sleep.

Then it clicks. You weren’t in your apartment.

You jerk up suddenly, and in response, your head starts to spin. Your body aches from all over. You flop over and bury your head into one of the pillows. Dear God, what happened last night? Were you hungover? You don’t recall going out. Weren’t you just working at the diner last night? It was all a blur.

_Broken glass, golden flowers. Broken glass, golden flowers. Broken glass—_

There’s a soft knock at the door.

“Are you awake yet? May I come in?”

The voice is gentle, almost motherly. It sends you a pang of nostalgia. Oh, how you missed having someone take care of you.

“Uh, yes, I’m awake now.” you peep.

The knob turns. Your caretaker looked nothing like you expected.

A ivory-haired, ruby-eyed, six-foot tall goat woman stands in the doorway. She smiles down at you, baring her large, sharp teeth. A scream escapes your lips, and you’re suddenly puking sick into a convieniently-placed bucket at your bedside.

You hear the door shut quickly. Your head throbs and your stomach churns. After you’ve had your episode, you look around the room. The goat woman had left. _Oh, she was only trying to_   _help_ , you think. Feeling bad for the poor monster, you try to get up and are nearly sick again. Guess that’s not happening. You lie back down.

You hear voices on the other side of the door.

“Oh, dear, I nearly frightened the poor girl to death. You said she was fine with you last night?” the goat woman’s voice trembles.

“ya, tori, she was really sweet, actually. jus’ lemme talk to her.” a gruff male’s voice responds. Oh, that voice was so familiar, where did you know it from?

There’s a pause. You pull the blankets all the way up to your chin, like a child hiding from the monster in their closet.

Another monster enters, this time without knocking.

You meet his eyes. Recollection hits you like a tidal wave.

You look down at your gauze wrapped hands.

_Broken glass, golden flowers._

The battle at the diner. His bleeding heart.

Your _magic_.

The skeleton speaks.

“i hope you don’t mind that i brought you back to my friend tori’s place. that’s the tall lady. you passed out last night. i had no idea where you lived, and i couldn’t just leave you there, and you know what they’d think if a monster brought a dying human to a hospital..” he trails off.

You’re shocked. “I was _dying_?"

“yeah, well, you were just barely breathing and pretty scraped up. tori helped you out. she’s got some pretty wicked healing magic.” the skeleton informs you with a sort-of distant smile.

Whatever it was you had done last night, it had drained you— both mentally and physically. Your mind was cloudy and groggy, and your eyelids screamed to close.

“anyways, i just wanted to thank you for saving me last night.” he continues. “i had no idea that those humans had weapons with such powerful magic. if you weren’t there i.. i dunno what i would have done.”

He pauses.

“i haven’t been that helpless in a long time.”

“Um, don’t worry about it.” you reply cautiously. “I mean, I don’t even know how I did that last night.”

He seems taken aback. “you don’t?”

You shake your head. Sans is quiet for a moment.

“well, you said you were a college student, right? you’ve probably got school soon.”

You rub your head, scanning the room for a clock. “Crap, what time is it? I’ve got class at ten.”

“it’s only half past eight, don’t worry. lucky for you, tori’s made pie.” the skeleton says with a wink.

You stand, attempting to smooth out last night’s winkled jeans and brushing your fingers through the rat’s nest you call hair.

“Oh, wait, I don’t think I caught your name.”

He grins. “sans.”

\- - -

A few moments later, you find yourself sitting with the strangest group of people you had ever seen. At the ends of the rectangular table are two goat monsters, one of them being “Tori”, the person who had checked up on you prior to Sans and the other being her husband. Across from you sits an olive-skinned, dark haired human child, who you learn to be named Frisk. Sans sits besides you, him being the only one who didn’t seem uncomfortable in the slightest.

The five of you sit at the table in an awkward quiet, with your plates of butterscotch-cinnamon pie untouched. Sans was the exception: his was already half gone and splattered with ketchup. You avoid eye contact by studying the pot of gold flowers at the center of the table.

One of the flowers stares back.

You blink at the potted plant. _That flower definitely has a face._

The flower winks at you and quickly shrinks into the soil of the pot.

Maybe last night had messed you up more than you thought. You take a long sip of your coffee.

The male goat monster finally breaks the unbearable silence.

“So, Sans told us you pulled quite a stunt last night.”

His wife shoots him an icy glare. Maybe it was just you, but you had a hunch that their relationship was a little on edge.

“Um, yeah, I guess.” you mumble. “I don’t really know how I healed him, exactly. The whole night is still kind of a blur. All that’s really clear in my memory is falling onto a bed of flowers before I passed out.”

Sans raises a brow at you. Frisk casts a look at the female monster. There’s a pause.

“Were they, erm, yellow-ish flowers, by chance, dear?” Tori asks in a tone of anxiousness.

“Uh, more of a gold, I’d say. They looked a lot like the ones you’ve got here.” you respond, gesturing to the potted plant. How did she know?

“there were no golden flowers. i caught you when you passed out. you must have imagined it.” Sans says sharply.

 _What’s the matter with them? They’re freaking out over flowers,_ you think.

“Oh, I guess I must have.. That was silly of me, I guess. Why would there be a bed of flowers inside the restaurant?” you chuckle uneasily, pushing bits of pie crust around on your plate.

The other people at the table continue to shoot worried glances at one another. You go back to studying the vase of flowers and take a bite of your pie. It was buttery and sweet, with the perfect mix of spice. _God, that’s the best pie I’ve ever had_ , you think. _Wouldn’t it be nice if I had an appetite?_

Sans pats your hand resting on the table. It’s an unfamiliar gesture. You wanted to pull away, but it was over before you had time to react. Oddly enough, his skeletal fingers felt warm and living, not cold and dry like you had expected.

“well, your class is starting soon. i’ll take you there, if you want.” the skeleton offers, standing up. You knew very well that your class didn’t start for at least an hour. _At least Sans could tell_ _that I was uncomfortable_ , you think to yourself.

You consider it for a moment. “Yeah, that would be great, actually.” you say. “I have no idea how to get to the university from here.”

“cool.” Sans says, heading towards the door. He high-fives Frisk on the way out. The child was awfully quiet, you noticed. In fact, you were fairly certain that you hadn’t heard a peep from Frisk during the whole meal. You wonder what a human child was doing with a family of monsters.

The skeleton holds the door open for you, the icy winter breeze contrasting with the warm, cozy apartment atmosphere. You stand in the doorway, a little unsure of what to say.

“Thanks for taking care of me and letting me crash here, you guys. And delicious pie, too.” you tell the strange group with a smile and a little wave. The three sitting at the table wave and grin back.

Their anxious eyes betray their smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter updates should be about weekly, if everything goes to plan. Tell me what you guys think, and thank you again for all the positivity for this story!<3


	3. Red Ears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: GOD DAMN IT BECKY.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some cute stuff:)

  
The air is frigid and blistering, the sky cloudless and clear. These were the worst kind of winter days, in your opinion. The coldest days.

You shiver, being reminded that you were only wearing a thin hoodie, a pair of ragged jeans, and sneakers. Your hands are nestled into the pockets of your hoodie as you watch puffs of steamy air leave your mouth. Sans the skeleton walks beside you, hoodie zipped open, seeming relatively unbothered by the horridly cold weather.

The awkwardness of the morning seems to be long forgotten, the two of you chatting just like you had the night before. Sans really was a sweet guy, you’ve come to learn. You wonder if the other monsters were like him. The ones you had met this morning acted quite nervous around you. You guess you had that coming, considering how most humans reacted to monsters. Yet nonetheless, they took you in when you were hurt.

The media really made quite the effort to make monsters out to be dangerous and evil. There were a lot of religious anti-monster groups on the news lately, calling the creatures of the underground world “demons from hell.”

You seriously doubted that.

Most people saw monsters as mindless killers, no more intelligent than animals. Brawls between humans and monsters were frequent. These fights were almost always initiated by human hate groups. Many stores and restaurants had a no-monster policy.

On the bright side, there were a few lone monster supporters. But they were little in numbers and little in funds. They couldn’t compete with the constant anti-monster advertisements on television.

It was strange. All of the monsters you had met so far haven’t laid a finger on you. In fact, they’ve done nothing but help you.

You really did like Sans. The two of you would tease each other relentlessly, snarky comments boomeranging between the two of you without end.

“gosh, this weather is positively _bone-chilling_ , huh?” Sans grins.

You giggle behind your hand. “Good one. Talk about chilling. Please tell me we’re not walking all the way to the university?” you plead.

“nah, we won’t. wanna stop at a cafe, my treat? you seem just about frozen, and your ears are so red that they look like they might fall off.”

You roll your eyes at him. “That sounds great. But I’m not letting you pay, though.” you tell him with a smirk.

\- - -

Sans leads you into the nearest cafe. It’s a cute coffee shop, you suppose, with neat chalkboard artwork and trendy urban decor. Wide human eyes look up from their phone screens and follow the two of you as you enter. The chatter that was present moments ago suddenly dissipates.

“Pfft. Don’t worry about them.” you tell Sans, noticing how he lowered his head.

Then you do something rather audacious.

You reach down and grab his hand.

It’s quiet for another moment.

The cafe’s chatter is slowly returns with hushed discussion. Keeping your head high, you and the skeleton walk up to the barista counter, hearing the whispers as you walk past.

“—probably threatened her—“

“—she’s under some sort of spell—“

“—that’s revolting!“

“—they don’t have feelings, Becky—“

With every glare shot, you return with a bold, blank stare.

You grip his hand tighter. The bone of his hand was smooth and silky, sort of like those smooth, polished pieces of jasper and quartz you find at craft fairs. Again, you were reminded how the slight warmth of his hand made him feel alive.

“A hazelnut hot cocoa for me, please. And whatever my partner wants.” you say to the cashier. The cashier’s jaw drops at the word “partner”.

“uh, just a black coffee. thanks.” Sans mumbles, scratching his head. He still looks at the floor. You give his hand a little squeeze.

“Oh, and we’ll have that to go, please.” you add, paying for your drinks. “I think they got the message.” you mutter to Sans. “They’re not worth any more of our time.”

You exit the cafe, chin high, with your hands holding a drink in the right Sans’s hand in the left.

“Hey, no ketchup this time?” you ask with a smirk.

“ah, don’t you think we’d get a few weird looks if i did that?” Sans replies sarcastically, shooting you a grin. You thought you were starting to figure Sans out. He hid a lot behind that grin and wink.

“Ugh, why you think humans have to act like that?”

“it’s not all their fault. frisk was our ambassador. y’know, supposed to introduce us peacefully to the humans. that’s kind of an impossible job for a mute, eleven year-old orphan. not that the kid isn’t brilliant— they definitely are. i mean, they got us out of the underground, after all. but sometimes i wonder if they had outside help.. or something.“

You ponder that for a moment. “Yeah, I get what you mean. But you can’t blame the kid for the humans outright hating monsters immediately. I mean, the only monsters I’ve ever really spoken to are you and the two from this morning. You’re great, and they just seemed a little..” you struggle for the words. “Tense.”

“don’t worry about it.” Sans says, and again you hear that slight edge to his tone from when you asked him about the flowers. You press your lips together and put your hands in your pockets.

He seems to pick up on your reaction and decides to add on.

“they were probably just nervous with a human around. plus, they’re always a little on edge. see, toriel and asgore were married for a while. then they separated. they got back together once we resurfaced, since most of the monster citizens were in a bit of a panic from the humans. kind of like a morale-boost. to give the monsters at least one thing to be happy about.”

“Hold on, Sans, you sort of lost me there. Why would the monsters care if Toriel and Asgore were married?”  
“well, they’re the king and queen of the monster world. kind of important to monster culture.”

Your jaw drops.

“I was really talking to a queen and a king this morning?”

“yep. although tori’s mostly just a school teacher now, and the king’s a janitor. they opened a school for monsters, since human schools won’t accept monster kids into their schools. just another way humans show their distain for us, no offense to you.”

“None taken. I’m sick of all this hate.” you state.

Sans tightens his jaw. “it’s fear, not hate.”

His voice lowers. “humans are afraid of what they don’t understand.”

You walk in silence for a few minutes.

“Oh!” you exclaim, feeling heat rush to your cheeks. “I just realized I’ve been holding your hand this whole time. Sorry, that was probably kind of weird.”

“oh, didn’t even notice.” Sans says with a little laugh, letting go of your hand.

There’s a sort-of awkward pause.

“Gosh, I’m freezing.” you say, rubbing your hands against your arms.

“oh, hold tight for a sec.” the skeleton tells you. He vanishes into thin air.

“Sans?”

He’s back in a few seconds later, holding a knit burgundy hat.

“a thank-you gift. for everything back at the cafe.”

“Oh, Sans, that’s so sweet of you!” you gasp, embracing him in a hug. He was pretty sturdy, for a skeleton. You put on the hat. “How did you do that?”

“teleportation is one of my many talents.” he says with a wink.

“that’s actually really cool.” you tell him.

“thanks. the hat looks good on you, by the way.”

Your ears were red, but not from the cold.

\- - -

  
“oh, hey. just remembered.” Sans suddenly says. “your phone broke last night, right? my friend alphys can fix that for you.”

“Oh, Sans, that’s okay. I can have it fixed, or just get a new one.” you assure him.

“nah, it was my fault it broke. i’ll swing by after your class and pick you up. it’ll be fun.” he tells you, grinning.

You knew you that there was no way you could afford a new phone yourself. “Alright, fine. My boss has probably called me a billion times by now.” you sigh. “But I owe you and your friend lunch.”

“i’ll take you up on that.” the skeleton says with a smile. “say, your class is probably starting soon, huh? you ready to go?”

“Um, yeah. Isn’t that why we’re walking?” you ask, puzzled.

Sans grabs your hand, pulling you into the nearest alleyway. He meets your eyes.

“do you trust me?”

“Huh? Yes, I trust you. Why?”

Wordlessly, he leads you back out of the alleyway.

You’re somehow on a completely different street. You see the university a block away.

Your mouth opens, searching for the words. “How—Did you teleport us?”

“yep. and i didn’t think it would be a a good idea to go too close to your school. i don’t want another incident like at the cafe.”

“Good call.” you tell him. “Hold up, does that mean that we didn’t have to walk all that way in the first place?”

“mhm. but it was more fun this way.” the skeleton says with a wink.

You roll your eyes. “Pick me up around four?”

“sounds great. look for a red convertible.”

You spin around. “Are you seriously telling me you had a car this whole time?”

“well, i, for one, had a great time walking with you. see ya at four.” Sans says with a grin, slipping back into the alleyway and out of sight.

He leaves you in a swirl of snowflakes and confused feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Just so you know, school for me starts soon (sigh) and updates are going to be a little bit slower. I'll do my best to keep up! Thanks again, love you guys<3


	4. Friend Ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We peek into Reader's social life and meet a new friend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS. Lots of announcements! First off, let me apologize! It's been.. three months? I am so sorry for keeping you guys waiting without notice!
> 
> I've been in the process of moving out of my stepdad's house, and finally am able to use my laptop again! Long story, which I'm sure y'all don't want to hear about, but basically my mom and I are getting ourselves out of a very toxic situation. So anyways, sorry about the wait!
> 
> Honestly, I am SO GLAD so many of you are enjoying this story! We're almost to 1,000 notes! That's crazy! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.
> 
> One last thing, but it's kind of important. I'm really not feeling this story as much as I used to, so chapters might come in a little slower. Not giving up though! This was my first time experimenting with writing fan fiction, and I really don't know myself what's in store for this story. 
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN FOR BEING SO PATIENT. I LOVE EACH AND EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU ALL<3

  
Today you were all smiles. You simply couldn’t help it.

To put it plainly, you had a lack of friends. You were a quiet girl and that didn’t like to share about your past. Sans was a nice addition to your small collection of individuals who called you their friend. That was all, you decided.

“Psst. You haven’t yet told me why you’ve been smiling like an idiot all day.” whispers your friend sitting beside you, Dorian Santiago. You liked Dorian, he was fun to be around and he was easy to talk to. Well, by that you mean he did most of the talking, which was usually about his boyfriend or his blossoming career as a model.

You drum your fingers on your notebook. “Hm. Well, I think I’m just really into Professer Bolan’s lecture.” you whisper back with a smirk.

Dorian rolls his eyes. “You can tell me the real reason at lunch, then.”

You manage to scribble down a few more notes before the class is dismissed.

“So, it’s chicken wing Wednesday. You can tell me all about this new boyfriend of yours in the cafeteria.” Dorian says, catching up to you as you speed out of the classroom.

“And how do you know it’s a boyfriend?” you question, raising a brow.

He sighs. “Oh, please.”

The two of you get your lunch from the cafeteria and sit yourselves down at a table.

Dorian leans forward intensely over his plate of food. “So, is he tall?”

“No, he isn’t really that— Wait, I mean, no! There’s nobody.”

He smirks. “Aha! So now that I know you are in fact seeing someone, you have to tell me all about him.”

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” you respond.

He stares at you intently, searching for answers.

You stare at your plate, chewing your lip. Your voice shifts to a bitter, edged tone.

“I’ve tried to be in relationships, but for some reason it’s always been hell. And anyways, even if I did like this guy, there’s no way I could ever date him. It just wouldn’t work, okay? So there’s no point in even trying.”

Dorian stares at you, wide eyed at the sudden sharpness of your tone.

You look down at your plate.

_I always lose my friends like this_ , you think. _I bottle things up and then I explode._

“Er, I’m sorry, Dorian.” you mumble.

He reaches over the table and squeezes your hand.

“Don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

You smile appreciatively. _Maybe I can keep the good friends._

\- - -

The rest of the day goes on long and uneventful, with each class more boring than the last. At least the day was finally over. You were anxious to see your new friend again.

You step outside, scanning the parking lot. There was no sign of a red convertible. You find yourself a bench to sit down on to wait for Sans to pick you up as promised. That little voice in your head piped up. _Probably ditched you. Who’d want to be around someone like you anyways?_

Just before you would have gone up to leave, you hear the screeching of breaks and several horns honking. A red convertible slows down beside you. Even though it was the middle of January, the roof of the car was put down.

“HELLO HUMAN!!!!!!!!”

You gape, seeing a tall skeleton half hanging out of the driver’s seat, cape billowing behind him. Sans is sitting in the passenger seat, looking legitimately terrified, gripping the edge of his seat. The taller skeleton waves frantically at you, still half-driving.

“Oh, hey!” you say, waving and hurrying over to the car swerving down the road.

The taller skeleton abrubtly slams on the brakes, causing Sans to smack his skull on the dashboard.

Sans rubs his forehead and looks up at you. “yo. get in.”

You bite your tongue to stop yourself from laughing, hopping in the back seat. The driver floors the gas, skidding down the icy street.

“this is my brother papyrus.” Sans informs you with a sigh.

“Hi, Papyrus! I’m one of Sans’s friends.” you shout over the sound of the wind.

“OH YES, I’M AWARE. IN FACT, SANS HASN’T SHUT UP ABOUT YOU ALL DAY!” Papyrus shouts back.

You raise a brow at Sans.

“hey, paps? how ‘bout you just concentrate on the road.” Sans mutters to his brother, putting up a hand to hide his face from you.

“THAT’S OKAY, SANS, I CAN TALK AND DRIVE AT THE SAME TIME. I AM A VERY CAPABLE DRIVER.” Papyrus yells back as he slams on the brakes again at a red light.

This was going to be a wild ride.

\- - -

Somehow, the three of you made it in one piece to what was known as the Monster District. This was a little slice of Chicago where the monsters could live a sort-of peace without the presence of humans. You had never been there yourself before this morning, of course. Humans avoided the Monster District like the plague.

Papyrus actually slows down as you enter the District. You were curious to see more of the neighborhood, as you saw barely a snippet of it on your walk with Sans.

It was a pleasant surpise to you. You imagined bordered up windows, graffitti-streaked walls, and closed-down stores like the surrounding neighborhoods. From what you could tell, it used to look a lot like that. But somehow, the monsters tidied up the place. Flowers bloomed in the window boxes and the buildings were scrubbed free of graffiti. Something about it warmed your heart.

\- - -

You follow the two skeleton brothers up a winding stairwell. It was a nice apartment, for this type of neighborhood.

“Sans, remind me again who we’re visiting?”

“my friend alphys. real tech-savvy. she can fix your phone.”

“Gosh, Sans, you really don’t have to do all of this for me. It’s just my phone.”

“i owe it to you.” Sans insists, stopping at a door. He turns to you. “all right, listen up. monsters rarely get to interact with humans, so don’t.. freak out if they act weird around you.”

“I kind of figured that, you know, after this morning. I’m okay with it.” you tell him.

“alright, good.” Sans says, knocking on the door.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little shorter, I know. We'll be meeting some new friends next round. As always, hit me with your wonderful ideas for this story!


	5. Dinner Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad at naming chapters. Let's meet some more of the gang, shall we?

  
The group sits in an awkward silence. You sit beside Sans on a love seat. On the couch next to the loveseat sits Papyrus and a fish-woman named Undyne with her arm around the Royal Scientist. Honestly, Alphys was nothing like you expected. You were expecting a tall, intimidating, brooding monster scientist. In reality, she was a short, socially awkward yellow lizard monster.

It had taken Alphys about five minutes to fix your phone. The scientist was brilliant. Not only had she fixed your screen, she also fixed one of the volume buttons that didn’t work, and your phone no longer froze up when you switched apps too fast. You couldn’t thank her enough.

After that, Alphys and Undyne had insisted that you, Sans, and Papyrus stay for dinner. You’ve been at the couple’s apartment for a good half-hour now, watching some ancient anime show. The living room was too dark, and you had a headache.

You liked Alphys. She seemed sweet enough, if not a little quirky. Undyne, on the other hand, terrified you a little bit. She was a tall, lean, scaly creature. All night, you felt her eyes on you, evaluating. Were you a threat to her? Were you an enemy?

But there was something about her guardedness that made her a warrior. A fighter.

A ding is heard from the kitchen.

“Ah,” Undyne says, taking her arm from behind Alphys. “Looks like the lasanga is done.” She turns to you. “Why don’t you help me get dinner ready?” Not waiting for a yes or no, the monster strides into the kitchen.

Sans chokes back a snort as you jump up from your seat and scamper to follow Undyne.

“Chop up those vegetables over there.” she orders coldly.

You scurry over to the pile of vegetables and begin slicing a head of lettuce. In the corner of your eye you see Undyne taking a pan out from the oven.

“Bah! Here, you’re doing it wrong.” Undyne muttered, pushing you back and taking the knife. You watch her rapidly slice the lettuce. You couldn’t tell the difference between how she cut it and how you cut it.

Rage bubbles within you. It took every ounce of determination not to scream at the monster.

 _These are Sans’s friends_. You think. _Just keep it cool, and it’ll be over soon._

Undyne and yourself carry the pan of lasanga and a bowl of salad out to the dinner table. It was some kind of miracle that you didn’t drop the dish.

The dinner passes in silence, save Alphys occasionally piping up to say something about Kissy Kissy Mew Mew, the TV show you had been watching.

 _Could this night get any more awkward?_ You think to yourself as you later help Undyne with the dishes.

As soon as you possibly could, you resume your seat beside Sans. He opens his mouth as if to make a joke, but then saw your exasperation.

“beer?” he offers, holding an unopened bottle.

Normally you would have said no. It usually didn’t take much to get you intoxicated. But tonight, you knew that you could manage to be responsible.

Plus, it had been kind of a long night.

Graciously you take the bottle. “I get pretty wild after about three beers, just so you know.” you sighed with a grin. Sans rolls his eyesockets.

\- - -

A little while later, Undyne and Papyrus had disappear into the kitchen together, making quite a racket. Apparently this was a normal thing, Sans had told you. To your surprise, you had been restraining yourself on the booze.

“H-hey.. I wanted to ask you something.” Alphys’ voice chirps up.

“Yeah, what’s up?” you respond, turning to her.

“Erm, so my friend Mettaton has been wanting to get a human on his show, maybe for an interview..”

“You know Mettaton?! Like, the Mettaton? The star of Monsters at Midnight?”

“Uh.. Yeah. I, um, built his body.”

You gape at her. “Alphys.. You’re the coolest person I know.”

The lizard monster’s scaly cheeks turn bright pink. “Aw, shucks, I, um..”

You chuckle, taking a sip of only your second beer. “So, anyways, what did you want to ask?”

“O-Oh, right, well, Mettaton really wants to have a human on his show sometime. As a guest star, or maybe for an interview.. Would you maybe, um, want to?”

Your jaw drops a second time. “You.. Want. Me. To be on Monsters at Midnight?”

“It would really mean a lot to Mettaton, ‘cause he can’t really find any humans who want to be on a monster show. You’re one of the few who aren’t downright _terrified_ of us.”

“Wow, Alphys, I’d love to! I just don’t know if I’m cut out to be on a hit TV show..”

“Nonsense! Of course you are. Mettaton will help you, of course. He’s been a little busy as of late, so we can probably have the two of you meet up in a week or two. Oh, gosh, he’s going to be stoked! I got him a real human!”

“Alright, if you say so..” you say with a giggle.

You yawn. “I’m wiped, you guys. I might call a cab in a bit, if you don’t mind.”

“i’ll give you a ride home.” says Sans immediately, standing up. “i’ll go tell paps. we can teleport there and leave his car here, since he’ll probably want to stay here for a while.” he told you, heading towards the kitchen.

“Alphys, I can’t thank you enough for fixing my phone, for dinner, and everything else.” you tell the scientist.

She beams. “Stop by anytime! Even if your phone isn’t broke.”

You laugh. Sans enetered the room, holding your sweatshirt out to you.

You raise your eyebrows. “What a gentleman!” you tease. His cheeks turn slightly blue. Alphys’ eyes darted between the two of you suspiciously.

The two of you finish up your goodbyes and head out the door.

\- - -

You and Sans exit the apartment and walk down the dark, frozen street, only lit by the amber yellow streetlights. Your breath comes out in pillowy white puffs as you speak.

“Hey, look, my messages are coming in now!” you exclaim, holding out your phone. “Uh-oh, my boss..”

You had nearly forgotten about the incidident at the diner. What were you going to tell your boss, or even the police?

“listen, you can’t tell them that i blew up that restauraunt, okay? ‘cause you know how it works, monsters get blamed for crimes all the time, and—“

“Sans. Of course I’m not going to tell them you were there. I’ll just say that it was a robbery, and that I got a ride home from a friend, okay?”

The skeleton nods appreciatively, yet doubt lingered in his eyes. “i shouldn’t have you covering up for me like this.. you’re in danger, being around me. monsters, especially ones with strong powers.. we’re always in danger. there are humans from certain hate groups out there who hunt down the stronger monsters, thinking we’re some kind of threat. i don’t what i would do with myself if you got hurt.”

You look at him. How his eyes were hurting, it was so different than his normal nonchalant gaze. “Listen to me, Sans.”

He looks at you. You stop walking and face him.

You inhale. “I don’t know how, or why, but I found out I had the power to heal monsters when I was with you. So, I think that means that no matter what, my fate is interwoven with the fate of monsters.” Your lips lift into a slight smile. “It wasn’t an accident that we met, Sans.”

Sans cheeks burn blue again. He starts to walk again, not meeting your eyes. “i think you’re just drunk.”

You sigh, and follow him. Yeah, you had a low alchohol tolerance, but it took more than two beers to get you intoxicated. “I’m not drunk, Sans.”

“let’s just take you home, then. what’s your address?”

You give him your address and the two of you teleport to the front doors your apartment complex.

“Goodnight, Sans.” you say, turning around to face him.

He was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you guys with a new chapter on the 14th of February;)


	6. Valen-Times (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time around we get some Valentine's fun + backstory stuff!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY MY LOVES<3
> 
> Just so you guys know, I'm now on Quotev if any of you prefer to read on there. You can find me under the same username(Sapphella)
> 
> This wasn't intended to be a two-parter, but turns out I couldn't write enough of this mushy garbage. It was so much fun to write. I really hope you guys like it!
> 
>  
> 
> -Your lonely, without-a-valentine author

**“SO, BROTHER, WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR YOU AND THE HUMAN FOR VALENTINE’S DAY, HM?”** Papyrus asks Sans.

“what’s that supposed to mean?” Sans replies with a roll of his eyesockets. Undyne, Alphys, Sans, Papyrus, and Frisk were hanging out at Alphys and Undyne’s place that Friday afternoon.

**“OH, PLEASE.”**

“He’s right, Sans. We all saw the chemistry when the two of you were here last week.” chrips Alphys.

“listen, you guys, you seriously can’t think that i would date a human, right? it’s dangerous, and impratical, and stupid.. in fact, being around her at all puts her in danger. we all know there are people who hunt monsters. she could get seriously hurt for hanging around me.”

“He has a point.” mutters Undyne.

“Give her a break, honey, she’s really nice.” Alphys tells Undyne. She replies with a huff.

“Anyways, Sans, she’s clearly into you,” begins Alphys. “I’m sure she’d be perfectly safe, and besides, you’d be there to protect her! Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, Sans, it would be perfect for you to ask her out! Oh boy, you could get her chocolates, or roses.. You could take her out to dinner, although, you probably wont be able to get reservations for Valentines’s now. Undyne and I made ours months ago. But that’s besides the point.”

Frisk giggles in approval.

**“AND, SANS, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I’VE SEEN YOU ROMANTICALLY INTERESTED IN SOMEONE SINCE TORIEL REJECTED YOU FOR ASG—“**

Alphys Undyne, and Frisk simotaneously shoot Papyrus a deadly glare, which quickly shut him up.

Sans looks out the window.

“looks like quite the blizzard out there.” he says, more to himself than anyone else. “supposed to last for at least another day, i heard. up to 14 inches of snow, too.”

A silence falls over the room. “you want the truth? okay, fine. yeah, i like her. she’s funny, smart, gorgeous, and.. human. i like her too much to put her in danger. so, that’s that.”

Sans wanted to tell his closest freinds about the night in the diner, about the people who had been hunting him, and about her soul. Red, for determination. The rarest color. Determined souls were the most powerful, and those who had one held astounding powers. Frisk, too, had a determined soul, but they were the only other living human that had been found to have one so far.

Not only did the girl have a red soul, she also possesed an incredible power. She had the ability to transport raw, pure determination to another to heal their soul. It was unheard of. Alphys had tried to transport determination before, but the results were horrible, zombie-like amalgams of monsters.

The thing was, she didn’t even realize how powerful she was.

No, he couldn’t tell anyone besides the King, Queen, and Frisk about her abilities. Especially not Alphys. Not yet, at least.

 _They wouldn’t hurt her. They wouldn’t go that far. They aren’t your father,_ Sans thinks to himself. He shakes off the thoughts plaguing him.

“Sorry, Sans,” says Alphys. “I think we all just wanted to see you be happy for once.”

Frisk nods, agreeing with her. _What are you going to do if she’s the one who asks you out?_ Frisk asks in sign language.

“i dunno, kid.” Sans replies. _Would I break her heart to keep her safe?_

\- - -

The snow was still falling.

It was the morning of Valentine’s day, and Sans had only looked longingly at his phone a hundred times. It’s not that he didn’t want to see you. Quite the opposite, actually. There’s nothing else he’d rather be doing than spending the day with you.

Why was he so obsessed? He’d only met you a week ago.

 

A flashback.

 

_“what’s that red stuff, father?” the child asks, entranced, watching the dripping, deliciously crimson liquid being filled into a flask. “A substance called determination, my boy. The essence of all living things in this world. The fuel. The lifeblood.” the scientist says as he works, his silky voice enveloping the labratory room like a sweet cream._

_The young boy reaches out. “can i see—“_

_A hard slap is delivered to the boy’s wrist._

_The child retracts his arm._

_“Now, how many times must I tell you not to interfere while I’m working? The only reason I let you into the Lab is so that I can have an extra pair of hands around. It’s a privilege to see the Underground’s finest scientist at work. Don’t forget that. Now, go fetch a clean rag.” the scientist commands._

_Wordlessly the boy brings one to his father._

_“Ah, I suppose I cannot blame you, boy,” the scientist begins, taking the rag and wiping the smudges off of the flask. His father always had been neatly organized in his experiments. “We monsters have a natural, primal instinct to consume determination. Sometimes, even I cannot help but take some for myself..” he says, and pauses before continuing. “Determination is extracted from humans born with red souls, you see. That’s why monsters love being around humans with red souls of determination, like that little Chara. Now, this pure determination will kill you. Though, soon enough, I’ll have a solution to that.”_

_The scientist continues._

_“Determination is the most powerful substance I’ve come to find in my studies. It is the most powerful in this state, perfectly pure, extracted from the soul.” he pauses to hold up the vial. “Unfortunately, the only current way to absorb determination is to do so by taking in an entire human soul.”_

_The scientist turns to face his son._

_“Imagine, Sans, what could be done if I could harness pure, liquid determination so that it would not burn our bodies up? Oh, that raw power..” the scientist murmurs, eyes glittering._

  
Sans regained himself.

You’re nothing more than a chemical reaction in his head.

Because of that blasted, addictive, dangerous, _red_ soul.

\- - -

Sans drowsily opens his eyes to see the ceiling fan slowly going around, around around. He must have dozed off sometime while watching that pointless show with the glittery robot. Damn, what time was it? The skeleton digs around in the couch cushions, retreiving his cell phone from the dark depths. Half past nine. Sans had a nasty habit of sleeping most of the day away. This cushy surface was really getting to him.

A voicemail, 10:23 AM.

From you.

God, he really didn’t think you’d ask him out. Why would a human want to spend Valentine’s day with a monster? His heart beat against his ribcage.

Well, it was you after all. He presses the play button.

“H-Hey Sans,” your voice plays through the phone. You sounded a little shaky, were you nervous? “I’m sure you’re busy today, but, um.. My radiator broke last night, it’s negative three degrees outside, so do you, uh.. Wanna hang out? I’m really cold and I won’t be able to get someone to fix my radiator till Monday. I r-really need to get out of my apartment or else I’ll freeze to death.” you pause with a nervous giggle. “Alright, so, uh, call me back! Or not.. Uh, okay, bye!”

Oh.

Oh.

You actually did it.

Not in a million years did he think you would.

He shoots back a text.

_Shit, just got ur message. B there in 20._

\- - -

It took you hours to muster up the courage to make that call.

And he didn’t even answer.

You left a voicemail. And waited.

And waited.

Were you crazy?

Maybe.

Did you care?

Not at all.

Sans was worth it. You hadn’t ever met someone that could make you laugh so hard. Someone you could speak your mind to without being judged. Someone who was just so easy to be with. So what that he was a monster?

Besides, you really did want to get out of the freezing apartment. Unfortunately, you didn’t really have anything to do.

You sit on the futon couch, channel surfing, with a dozen blankets wrapped around you. It was so cold, _damn that broken heater._ You put on _Monsters At Midnight._

Personally, you never really got into the show. It was a little too soap opera-y for your tastes. But it was a hit TV show, and just about everybody who didn’t live under a rock knew who Mettaton was. It was weird to think that you’d be on that show soon enough.

Your apartment, if you could even call it that, was about the size of an single bedroom with a bathroom attatched. It consisted of a couch that could turn into a bed, a miniature television that was a gift from your aunt, an ancient refridgerator, a gas stove, and a tiny bathroom. The walls were brick, which made the room feel even colder than it was. It wasn’t much, but you made it work. Besides, it was cheaper than living at the dorms.

You had little things that made it better.

For instance, last year, you bought some white christmas lights that were on clearance and hung them on the ceiling. It added a little bit of class to the tiny room. The brick walls were kind of cool, too, if you were into the whole rustic aethstetic thing. And you liked your fire escape. During the summer, you kept tiny potted plants out there. Now they sat inside, underneath the one window that you had.

You watch the glittery magenta robot dance across the screen.

Then your phone buzzes.

\- - -

What in the hell was he doing here?

The skeleton wanted to puke. Sans stood in a party store, surrounded by frilly paper hearts, pink streamers, and other various Valentine’s Day supplies. It was all just too much.

Alright, Alphys said chocolates or roses. Which was he supposed to get? What do you like?

A more relevant question arose in his mind. Was he making a mistake?

Your words from that night rang in his ears.

 _My fate is interwoven with the fate of monsters,_ you said.

Your deliberate pause.

 _It wasn’t an accident that we met,_ Sans.

The sincerity in your voice, dripping with naiviety.

The skeleton had played those words in his head for days and days on end.

Sans regained his focus. Chocolates. Flowers. He better make it quick. The clerk was starting to get suspicious. Probably thought he was a shoplifter, especially with his hood up and the way he shuffled around the store.

Of course, she probably didn’t think he was a monster. Sans had used a little magic to disguise himself. He had a neat little trick that completely hid his face under his hood. In fact, he had used the same trick on you back in the diner. God, that seemed like so long ago now, even though it hadn’t been more than a few weeks. The skeleton also kept his hands in his pockets, and wore sweatpants to completely cover up the rest of his bones.

Hurriedly, Sans bought a small box of chocolates and a single rose. That should do.


	7. Valen-Times (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the Valentine's fun!

Sans stands at the door to your apartment. His blue heart, the heart that you had healed, beat against his ribcage. The skeleton holds the chocolates, the rose, and a little note he had written in his skeletal hand. He knocks on the door.

He hears rustling for a moment, and a loud clank— did you knock something over? And you answer the door.

The skeleton panics. Sans shoves the chocolates and the rose into his pocket instinctively.

_God, you’re cute._

You were wearing a soft pink knit sweater, gray sweatpants, and these cute little beige knit socks. No makeup. Your hair was a little messy.

And you looked like an angel.

Neither of you really know what to say. What was there to say?

Charisma wasn’t a talent neither of you quite possesed.

“Hey, Sans, do you want to, um..”

“come in? sure.” he says, grinning.

Sans enters your apartment. “you weren’t kidding when you said it was freezing in here.”

It had to have been as cold as it was outside. He rubs his arms.

“Yeah. Hopefully I can get it fixed by Monday.” you say, your teeth chattering.

“oh, well, i can look at it for you if you want. i might be able to fix it.” Sans offers.

“Oh, really?” You say, blinking at him. “You’d know how to do that?”

“come on, i’m really talented, if you didn’t know.” Sans replies coyly. You show him where the radiator is, along with a screwdriver you happened to have in a drawer.

You wait patiently for a few minutes while he works.

“So, Sans where did you learn how to work with mechanics like that?”

His voice is slightly hesitant. “uh, actually, my dad. he always was working on lots of projects, and i usually helped him.”

A certain something about his voice that told you not to press on, so you didn’t.

There’s a ping noise from your radiator. “there, i think it’s fixed.” Sans tells you, standing up from where he was working.

Sure enough, when you put your hands out, waves of warmth were being emitted from the radiator.

“Oh, Sans, I can’t thank you enough. I don’t know how I would’ve dealt with another three days in the cold like this.”

Sans beams. “so, did you wanna go do something?”

“To be honest, now that it’s finally starting to warm up, I don’t wanna leave.” you admit with a giggle.

“oh, yeah, yeah.” says Sans, sounding flustered. “no, no, that’s fine. i didn’t wanna, like, impose or anything— yeah, i’ll just go.”

“No, oh, that’s not what I meant! I want you to stay— I mean, yeah.” you manage to sputter out.

“oh, okay. good. ‘cause i would’ve been real bummed out.” he laughs, trying to cover up his relief.  
  
\- - -

The couple comprised of two monsters sat at a small table draped in fine white linen. They were dining in the finest monster-friendly restraunt known to the world: Bistro Mettaton. It was located in the renowned Hotel Mettaton, the world’s finest monster-friendly hotel.

It was a curious thing, really. The famous robot had established himself quite the business empire. Mettaton had made a fortune on his various television shows, his hotels, his restraunts, his fashion line, his department stores.. and the list goes on. In fact, a large portion of the monster population was employed by Mettaton in some way.

“How’s your steak, dear?” Alphys asks Undyne sweetly. It was their first Valentine’s Day on the surface, and Alphys was determined to make sure everything went perfectly. She was aware that living among the humans had taken a toll on Undyne. Alphys didn’t expect Undyne to take to humans right away. After all, Undyne could be quite stubborn.

Besides, Undyne was justified in holding contempt for the human race. Frisk exculded, of course.

“Divine, love.” Undyne replies, smiling radiantly. Alphys was surprised at how well her girlfriend had cleaned up. Undyne was wearing a silky silver dress, paired with matching heels. It was quite out of character for her to dress up.

“It’s pretty great that you’ve got all these connections, babe. It’s not everyday that a gal can dine at a place like this, spending her evening with the most gorgeous monster in the world.” Undyne says coyly.

Alphys blushes and flusters. Even though the two knew each other inside and out by now, Alphys never really lost that awkward giddiness when Undyne flirted.

“So,” Undyne says, taking a bite of her food. “Do you think Sans asked out that human girl? Whatever her name was.”

“I hope so.” hums Alphys. “I really think that she’s one of the better ones.”

Undyne scoffs and mutters something to herself.

“You got to promise me you’ll at least give her a chance.” Alphys pleads. “I don’t know her well either yet, but you and I both know we haven’t seen Sans worked up like this, well, ever.”

Undyne sighs. “Alright, for you, I won’t murder her. Unless she lays hand on Sans or any of our other friends. Then I might murder her.”

Alphys smiles. “I really do love you, Undy.”

“Gah, I hate it when you call me that.” Undyne groaned. “I love you too.”

\- - -

You and Sans had decided to order a pizza and watch a movie. You had also made hot cocoa on your stove, which lofted a cozy, chocolately aroma into the atmosphere.

The movie the two of you had chosen was a kids’ movie called Strange Magic. The cartoon movie was about the perils of two fairy sisters in a magical forest. It was a bit of an odd movie, but you had watched it a dozen times before and adored it nonetheless.

The two of you sat on your couch, bundled up in blankets. Yet, there was still a bit of space in between the two of you. Both of you were determined to close that space.

“I’m a sucker for kids’ movies.” you admit to Sans in between bites of pepperoni pizza. “And the music in this movie is killer, and it’s written by the guy who wrote the Star Wars movies.”

“i really haven’t seen too many human movies, to be honest. that includes, uh, ‘Star Battles’.”

“Star Wars.” you correct, laughing while setting your empty plate down. “This one isn’t a real popular movie, but it has to be one of my favorites. I think it really has some qualities about it that differentiate it from other kids’ movies.”

“you’re such a geek.” Sans teases. You roll your eyes at him.

A yawn escaped your lips. It was a Saturday night, and you were used to going to bed by nine at the latest. Going out and drinking was something you had given up long ago. You check your phone. 11:42 P.M. No wonder you were so sleepy.

To be honest, Sans really liked the movie you were watching. They were at the scene were the two characters finally got together. He had been rooting for their romance for most of the movie by now. You had pretty good taste in movies, Sans supposed.

Mary Anne, the purple fairy, was singing.

 

 

**You’re waking meadows in my mind.**

**Making waves cross my time.**

**Oh, no. Oh, no.**

 

 

Sans looks over at you. Your hair gently framing your face. Your eyes, drooping slightly. Your body sunggly wrapped in a blanket. He looks away, returning his gaze to the singing fairy.

 

 

**I get a strange magic.**

**Oh, what a strange magic.**

**It’s a strange magic.**

 

 

The skeleton suddenly felt a warm presence on his shoulder.

You had fallen asleep beside him. Your head rested gently against him.

Sans was paralyzed, unable to move. Frozen in place. Terrified to wake you.

You looked so much more at peace this way. Not strewn with the constant worry and doubt that seemed to plague you. He watches your chest slowly rise and fall, perfectly in time with your gentle breathing.

A soft smile came over him.

 

**Oh I, Oh I..**

**I’m never going to be the same again.**

**Now I’ve seen the way it’s got to end.**

**Sweet dreams. Sweet dreams.**

  
\- - -

Sans carefully stands up, careful not to wake you. The skeleton must have sat there with you sleeping on him for some time now. The movie had been over for quite awhile. He covers you with a blanket and places a pillow beneath your head.

Quietly, he extracts the chocolate box and the now-bent flower out of his pocket. The skeleton sets them on your little end table. He smooths out the hand-written Post-It note out and re-attatches it to the box of chocolates. Sans reads the note over again, just for good measure.

That song from the movie.

Sans couldn’t seem to get it out of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, if you'll let me geek out for a moment.. STRANGE MAGIC IS SUCH A GOOD MOVIE. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.


	8. Apprehension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our lovely reader meets a bird and does some other cool stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This bad boy is a little on the short side-- I ended up breaking it into two chapters. I've been really busy with school lately, but I'll keep pluggin' along :) As always, I love you guys and thanks for the support <33

 

“alright, you sure you don’t need me to walk you in?”

“Yes, Sans.” you say with an eye roll, stepping out of the crimson convertible. Yeah, you could get used to being escorted around in that car.

The two of you smile at each other for a warm second, meeting eyes.

Ever since Valentine’s, last week, the dynamic of you and Sans changed. No, you weren’t dating, nor had you even kissed, but something about your relationship was different now. It was warmer, sweeter. A shared understanding that went without words.

You weren’t so afraid of each other.

“see ya at nine.” Sans says with a little wave.

You smile and wave back, then turn around to see the grand film studio. It was a large, elegant building. In your opinion, it was far to fancy for a film studio. Then again, Mettaton didn’t come off as a simplistic guy. Alphys had finally schedueled a time to work with the star. It was a warm Sunday afternoon, unseasonably warm for late February.

You were nervous. You knew next to nothing about what was ahead. The studio was a few minutes out of the city, which gave you just enough time to overthink the whole meeting-a-celebrity thing.

Everthing’s going to be fine, you tell yourself.

A pair of beefy monsters with MTT uniforms stand outside the glass entrance doors. Without saying a word, they pull open the doors as you approach.

“Huh, so do you guys let just anybody in here, or..” you joke. Their faces remain expressionless. You suck in a breath.

Your eyes take in the lavish setting. The room sort of resembled a fancy hotel lobby. You scan the room, not really sure what to do next.

A monster clutching a clipboard enters the room, looking flustered.

“Oh! You’re here, a little late, but nonetheless—“ the monster says breathlessly. She was a four-foot tall bird-like creature that sort of resembled an ostritch.

“Alrighty, I’m Hirri, Executive Assistant to Mettaton, and you must be the human! A pleasure to meet you, yes. Mettaton is quite exicted to meet you. This way, please, if you don’t mind. I have a schedule to keep up.” she says, her high-pitched voice bubbling a mile a minute.

You follow the busybodied monster down a hallway. “So, um,” you begin. “What exactly are we doing today? I mean, am I going to get some lines for the show, or am I getting set up for an interview? Alphys didn’t tell me much.”

“Today we’ll be shooting a new episode for _Monsters at Midinght_ — you being the special guest star.” she replies.

“We’re shooting today? I don’t know if I could learn my lines that fast. I haven’t ever really done any acting before.”

The bird monster laughs. “Oh, sweetie, Mettaton doesn’t use lines. Just go out there and react to whatever’s going on. You see, he believes that the best performances cannot be rehearsed. How else would you get genuine emotions and reactions?”

“Oh,” you say, hesitant and a little confused. “What if I mess up?”

She giggles. “Oh, we edit out whatever he doesn’t like. But you’ll be stellar, dear, trust me. Alright, we’re right on scheduele..”

Hirri leads you into a dressing room and sits you down into a chair. “In just a few moments the crew will get you fixed up and help you with your costume.”

_A costume?_

Before you could question her, a team of monsters burst into the room. In a swirl of color and commotion, they swiped you with lipstick, tugged on your lashes with mascara, and put on more makeup than you ever had in your life. You were engulfed in a cloud of hairspray and clamping flat irons while they did your hair.

After what seemed like an eternity of being poked and prodded at, they face you to a mirror.

You look _good_.

The makeup artists giggled and admired their work. One of them steps forward to lead you to a side room.

“Your costume is there, just come out when you’re ready, ma’am.” the monster informs, leaving you alone in the room.

You see a crimson shirt hanging up. Um, were they going to give you pants?

After trying it on, you had come to realize that it was a dress. A short dress, that is. You wonder why you’d need a costume like this. After all, you knew nothing about your role. You thought again about what Hirri said. Mettaton doesn’t use lines.

You step out of the room. The makeup crew giggle enthusiastically as they spin you around, straightening out your dress and perfecting your hair. You look in the mirror.

Glittery silver eyelids.

Perfectly winged eyeliner.

Ruby-red lipstick was meticulously the same shade as your dress, as if it was matched up at a paint store.

And, _damn_ , that skimpy dress worked well with you.

You’ve never felt this way before. You felt.. Hot.

It’s not that you had a terrible body image or anything. It’s just that something about feeling attractive almost empowered you, in a way. It was a nice change.

You notice that Hirri had entered the room. “Ah, dear, you look just great. Now, we are a little behind scheduele—“ she broke off, muttering to herself as she scrawled something on her clipboard. “Now, if you will, please follow me, I’ll take you to the set.”

After a spell of twists and turns through complicated hallways filled with bustling monsters of all kinds, Hirri led you to a heavy-looking steel door.

“Now, just a few more things you should know. There is a live studio audience out there watching. They’ll ooh and aah and cheer and laugh appropriately— But don’t be nervous! The episode won’t air until later tonight, as it takes a few hours to edit and such. Anything that doesn’t go to plan will be edited out. If it were up to Mettaton, it would be live, but we have had some.. unfortunate accidents in the past which needed to be edited out.” she paused to take a breather before continuing.

“I would imagine some of the things that will happen out there may startle you, but I assure you everything that happens is safe— you have Mettaton himself out there after all! You don’t have to worry.” Hirri chirped.

“Why would I have to worry if it’s safe or not?”

“You don’t have to worry.” Hirri repeated.

You sighed, straightening out your dress.

“You ready?” asked Hirri. You nodded, exhaling.

Hirri swung open the heay metal door, which led to a platform with a few metal poles sticking out of it. It came over you that the stage was above you and that the platform rose up into it. You stepped on to the platform. The monster gave you an encouraging smile as the platform began to rise on to the stage.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys I love?? Hirri??? So much?? Which btw her name is a pun on the word hurry because she's always in a rush :D *literally fucking dies I'm fucking dead*


	9. Starstruck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What trouble will arise when Mettaton has you in an episode of Monsters at Midnight?

The platform seemed to rise for ages.

Then, darkness. That’s all you could see at first.

After a few moments, sight came to you as your eyes adjusted. You drink in the scene.

It wasn’t even a film set. You were outside, atop an enormous cell tower. It was connected to the building below you, the building you had walked into a few hours before. Now it was night. The proud moon shone behind you and stars twinkled in the sky. Flying monsters with cameras and microphones filmed you from every angle. _What the fuck was going on?_

The platform you were on was very small. You grip onto the bars of the antennae. Looking down, you could see that it was at least a two hundred feet drop. Your heart hammers in your chest. Wind whips through your hair.

“BWAHAHAHA!” a staticy voice cries out.

You look up. The voice belonged to Notettem, the “bad guy” in _Monsters at Midnight_. He was Mettaton’s evil twin, who looked slightly less handesome (supposedly) and was garbed in green instead of magenta. He flies through the air with jet-powered wings, doing a sort of dance.

“AHA! I HAVE TRAPPED THIS BEAUTIFUL HUMAN HERE ON THIS CELL PHONE TOWER! WHO SHALL SAVE HER, I WONDER? ACTUALLY, I DON’T WONDER. MY ARCH NEMESIS METTATON CANNOT RESIST SAVING A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. I WILL LURE HIM HERE SO THAT I CAN DEFEAT HIM, ONCE AND FOR ALL!”

Your knuckles are white as you hold on to the antennae for dear life. It was windy, and the cold February air burns your cheeks. Your bare legs were freezing and the tiny dress did little to help you.

“Get me off this thing!” you demand. Notattem laughs. You did _not_ sign up for this.

Then, violet light beams from below you. A figure flies up into the air. _Mettaton._

He was dressed in magenta body armor, along with jet-powered wings. He had a chisled face, perfectly sculpted of metal, gently framed by raven hair. Mettaton hovered in the air, facing his twin.  
  
Then he winks at you.

“RELEASE HER, NOTETTEM, OR I SHALL BATTLE YOU MYSELF!” booms Mettaton, flipping his hair.

“YOU CAN TRY, METTATON! I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT I SHALL VANQUISH YOU THIS TIME. ” Notettem replies flambouantly.

“I KNOW YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS OF MY HAIR.” Mettaton fires back. Battle music begins to play.

Lights flash all around. Glitter rains down from the sky. Kicks and punches were paired with dance moves.

A swift kick from Notattem strikes Mettaton in the chest. He falls back, wounded. Nottatem cackles in delight, turning to you. The emerald-colored robot picks you up, your small frame meaning nothing to the seven-foot-tall robot. He carries you so that you hang over his back like a sack of potatoes. Notattem flies into the air. Looking down made your stomach churn.

The two of you speed through the air. You were starting to feel dizzy. Mettaton is a few feet below you. He raises a lazer gun— _where did he even get that?_

“IF YOU SHOOT ME, I’LL DROP THE GIRL.” warns Notattem.

Mettaton pauses. He lowers the gun.

“SIKE!” cries Notattem, releasing you. You fumble for something on Notattem to hold on to, but it’s too late. You slip through his arms and you fall into the night.

\- - -

Sans adusts his binoculars.

**“BROTHER, CAN YOU SEE ANYTHING?”**

“i dunno, pap, it just looks like they’re buzzing around up there. it’s pretty dark out.”

**“I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU THIS PARANOID IN A WHILE, SANS. DON’T YOU TRUST METTATON?”**

“no.” Sans replies shortly.

Papyrus sighs. The two skeleton brothers were parked on a hill a little outside the city.

It wasn’t stalking, technically. That’s what Sans told himself. Lots of people tried to get sneak peeks of Mettaton’s show.

 **“IF YOU DON’T TRUST METTATON, YOU CAN AT LEAST TRUST ALPHYS. SHE SAID SHE WOULD BE PERFECTLY SAFE.”** Papyrus says as an attempt to reassure his brother.

Sans exhales, trying to calm himself. Papyrus was right. Mettaton wasn’t the same death machine that attacked Frisk. Alphys made sure of that.

He raises up the binoculars to his eyes again.

His heart stops.

You’re falling.

\- - -

You’re falling.

It could have lasted a few seconds. It could have lasted an eternity. There was no way you could tell.

Then you weren’t falling.

He caught you lightly, somehow. You rest gently in his arms. It takes a few moments for you to find your bearings.

You were in the arms of Mettaton. Of course, how typical was that?

“Are you all right, darling?” he asks. You were a little too lost to answer him. All of the sudden, the feeling of being in the presence of a celebrity hit you, immobilizing you. The robot runs a sleek metallic hand down your cheek. He lifts one of his slender fingers, revealing a little blood.

“A little cut on that pretty cheekbone of yours. So sorry for this, dear. I didn’t plan for that to happen.” he tells you. There’s genuine sorrow in his voice, and his lips are parted into a frown.

Mettaton adjusts you so that he’s carrying you bridal style. You look around. The view was gorgeous from here. Skyscrapers were luminescent against the dark backdrop of the night, and the city glowed with energy and life.

“Say, darling, how would you like to take this one?” he offers, handing you his lazer gun.

“C-Cool.” you manage to stutter, aiming it at Notattem. You blast him out of the sky in an array of pink and purple light.

“BWAH! I’LL GET YOU NEXT TIME, METTATON!” he cries as he spirals down, out of sight.

Mettaton flashes you a brilliant smile. He flies down to the tower gently sets you down. The two of you step onto the platform and it begins to descend. You didn’t realize how tall he was when you were flying. Mettaton had to be at least a foot and a half taller than you, or maybe more. He places his hands on your shoulders and beams at you.

“Darling! You did absolutely stellar! A natural star, I’d say! It must have been so frightening, I’m sure, but I had to make sure that you were as fearless as Alphys described.”

Your cheeks redden. “If you say so. I thought I just kind of stood there.”

“Nonsense!” cried Mettaton. The two of you step off the platform and walk towards the direction of the dressing room. “Say, how about we make this a weekly thing? You’ll be paid quite handsomely, of course, not to mention that you’ll be hanging out with the sexiest robot in Chicago.” he says with a smile and a wink.

You laugh. “I can’t lie, I did have fun. It was absoluetly terrifying at the time, but now that I’m thinking about it, it was exhilirating. And I suppose it beats waitressing.”

“Great! What days work for you?”

“How about Wednesday nights? I only have morning classes on those days.”

“Absoluetly positively exceptional, my dear! This is terrific, I’ve always wanted a human on my show.”

“Oh, hey, I wanted to ask, what happened to Notattem?”

“He’s all right. He’s an actual robot, you see. Notattem can be easily repaired.”

“So, are you saying you’re not an actual robot?” you ask.

“Oh, my body is robotic, yes. But, I do have a SOUL, so I am very much alive with genuine thoughts and emotions. Thanks to the stupendous Royal Scientist Alphys, I’m able to pursue my dreams.”

You nod slowly, trying to wrap your brain around the concept.

The two of you enter the dressing room. Mettaton looks in the mirror, adjusting his hair.

“So, Alphys tells me you’re dating Sans?” he says, still looking in the mirror.

Again, your cheeks burn. “Um, yeah. Well, no, it’s not official or anything but, like—“

Mettaton interrupts. “Well, if that whole thing doesn’t work out, let me know.” he says, passing you his business card. It was glittery and pink, with his phone number on it. You didn’t know what to say.

Perfectly timed, Hirri pokes her head into the room. “Miss, are you ready to leave?”

Mettaton pouts his lips. “Oh, pity. I hate to see you leave. We’ll be meeting again Wednesday, darling!” he says as Hirri ushers you out.

\- - -

You exit through the lobby’s glass doors. All of the excitement had finally caught up with you. You were downright exhausted. Your eyes scanned the area for Sans. You spot the red convertible on the side of the road, waiting for you. You wave to Sans. A skeletal hand waves back.

Beaming, you hop into the passenger seat of the car. “Hey Sans!” you say cheerfully.

“hey, how was it?” he asks. His voice was a slightly tired. He began to drive.

“Terrifying! But, it was a good terrifying, if that makes sense. I guess we’re meeting every week now, and I’m gonna make a butt load of cash.”

“sweet.” says Sans. “you were safe the whole time and everything?”

“Yeah, well, we did some stunts that were a little scary, but I made it out alive.”

Sans nodded. Was he jealous, or just concerned? Maybe he was just tired.

He drove home and parks in front of your apartment building. “what’s this?” he asks, leaning toward you to touch your cheek. He runs his bony thumb across the cut on your cheekbone.

“Oh, its just a little scratch.” you assure him.

“are you sure you’re safe with him?” he asks, again concerned about your safety. What did he have against Mettaton, anyways?

“Yes, Sans.” you huff. You turn your cheek away from him, and he removes his hand from your cheek. “I appreciate your concern, but you can relax a little, okay? I’m fine. Mettaton will make sure I don’t get hurt.”

There was a slight bit of hurt in his eyes. “its just.. mettaton was pretty intent on hurting frisk back in the underground. i don’t want him to hurt you either.”

“Oh.. I didn’t know that.” you say.

“just.. be careful. i don’t want anything to happen to you.” Sans says.

“I promise to be careful if you promise to stop worrying about me.” you reply.

“all right, i guess i promise.” he says.

You smile at him, stepping out of the car. “Goodnight, Sans.”

He watches you leave.

Could he keep his end of your promise?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notattem is Mettaton backwards! I'm having so much fun with these names. Also, um, oooooo drama yeah.


End file.
